California Legislative Democrats Pressured USC to Expand Debate Lineup Before All‑White Gubernatorial Forum Was Canceled
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USC canceled a scheduled gubernatorial debate after backlash over an all‑White candidate lineup and a pressure campaign by California legislative Democrats. Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas led a Democratic‑caucus letter warning of a voter boycott unless USC expanded the stage, calling its data‑driven viability criteria biased, endorsing excluded candidates’ complaints (including Xavier Becerra’s claim the criteria were effectively racist), tying the demand to concerns about an invited candidate’s donor ties to USC, and prompting university officials to react quickly after viewing the letter as serious political pressure.